Wednesday, August 6, 2008

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS - GALETTES TURQUES

Being the spice addicted, Mediterranean as well as Middle Eastern cuisine lover that I am, I could just simply not live my life further without buying Claudia Roden's enchanting cookbook entitled "Arabesque: A Taste Of Morocco, Turkey and, Lebanon". That's why I ended up ordering that masterpiece from my favorite online retailer...As Claudia Roden was born and raised in Cairo (Egypt) and knows that part of the world very intimately, all her recipes are authentic and taste real. Her marvelous dishes are very accessible, not fussy to make, yet they are delectable and have that sbtleness that characterizes the food of the Middle East.

"Arabesque: A Taste Of Morocco, Turkey and, Lebanon" is a very handy book that will be your perfect ally as thanks to it's in-depth quality content your palate is going to be spoilt, you'll travel through time and land without leaving yourhome, you'll discover exotic foods and you'll learn more about the culinary traditions of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon.

As I had some Feta cheese to use and tons of zucchinis in my fridge, I chose to cook a Turkish recipe that would combine both ingredients. Fritters are very popular in the Middle East and when you eat those easy to make "Zucchini Fritters", you understand why, as they are so divine.

Those delicate vegetable pancakes are very similar to the Jewish "Zucchini Latkes" (see info & recipes). They are fluffy and smooth in texture, like little pillows, and refined in taste. Their wonderful summery flavor comes from the exquisitely fragrant herbs which are used and the marvelous, light, yet sharp aroma of Feta cheese. Really mouthwatering!

That recipe offers you a great, fanciful as well as healthy way to accommodate zucchinis and serve a complete meal that will create a sensation at your table. Even the most stubborn vegetable hater will adore them!Learn more about the Turkish cuisine and discover my "Lahmacuns - Turkish Pizzas" recipe by following this link: click here...~ Zucchini Fritters (Kabak Mücveri) ~Adapted from "Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon" by Claudia Roden.

Serves 3-4.Ingredients:1 Large onion, coarsely choppe3 Tbs Vegetable or sunflower oil, plus more for frying1 Pound (450g) Zucchini, finely chopped3 Eggs (~60g)3-4 Tbs All-purpose flourFreshly ground black pepper, to taste2 to 3 Sprigs of mint, chopped2 to 3 Sprigs of dill, chopped7 Oz (210g) Feta cheese, mashed with a forkMethod:1. Fry the onion in 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat until it is soft and lightly colored.2. Add the zucchini and sauté, stirring, until they, too, are soft.3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with the flour until well blended.4. Add pepper and the chopped herbs, and mix well.5. Fold the mashed feta into the eggs, together with the cooked onions and zucchini.6. Film the bottom of a preferably nonstick frying pan with oil and pour in the mixture by the half ladle (or 2 tablespoons) to make a few fritters at a time.7. Turn each over once, and cook until both sides are browned a little.8. Drain on paper towels and serve.

Remarks:Chopping the zucchini finely means that you have to cut them into a "brunoise".There is no need of salt because the feta cheese is already very salty.These little fritters can be served hot or at room temperature.They can also be made in advance and reheated.You could replace the zucchinis by chopped carrots or red/yellow bell peppers and the mint by flat parsley.

Serving suggestions:Serve as a starter/appetizer (meze dish) with plain yoghurt or other Middle Eastern as well as Mediterranean specialities such as "Baba Ganoush", "Greek Tzatziki" and "Hummus".You can also make a meal of that dish and serve it with the salad of your choice.

I made a Claudia Roden recipe a long time ago---a most delectable orange cake. Thank you for the reminder; I must look up the recipe and make it again. Along the way, I might just try the zucchini fritters recipe too, and I'll test their effectiveness on my carnivore sister.

I have zucchini growing in the garden at home ... so when I get back home I'm definitely going to try these. They look delish! I was going to look up zome good ways to use up zucchini so this was a timely post!

Rosa,I have the book and I love it too. My husband got the book for me couple years back, there were so many food that he wanted me to cook. At the time, I didn't have a blog yet. I made a lot of food from her recipe, but never tried the zucchini fritter. I might have to revisited her recipe again!

I have just got Nigel Slater's Ditchen diaries, which almost has the same recipe you have posted. Except he uses only 1 egg, dill only and says these fritters are fragile.So i though adding 1 extra and bought the ingredients. I like your version better, so i am going to make it this sunday. I also like adding the mint. Thanks for sharing!